


Learning Curve

by garbage_dono



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Awkward Crush, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Gen, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rayla's parents are the ultimate wingmen, Runaan is a Bad at flirting, oh now they're stuck inside during a storm what are they going to dOoOoOoOoOo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21577459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_dono/pseuds/garbage_dono
Summary: Runaan does his best to deal with his newfound feelings for Ethari.His best is...not very good.
Relationships: Rayla's mother/Rayla's father, Runaan/Ethari, Runaan/Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 935





	Learning Curve

**Author's Note:**

> Disaster Gay Runaan is my lifeblood
> 
> Since they don't have canon names as of writing this (post S3) I took the liberty of naming Rayla's parents myself: Renali and Tyla. Here's hoping they get some names in future seasons! But I probably won't update this to reflect that anyway. :D

"You seem more...intense than usual today," Renali said, panting and grinning as Runaan clasped his hand and hauled him back to his feet. "And that's saying something."

"Intense?" Runaan huffed.

"You haven't put me on my ass that fast in a long time." Renali quirked a brow. "Something going on in that head of yours, hm? I smell wood burning."

Runaan frowned in that uniquely… _Runaan_ way of his, lips thin and brown knit, making him look so damn stern. All it did was make Renali laugh, and he threw a look over his shoulder at Tyla. "Sweetness, what do you think? Something's knocking around in Runaan's noggin, right?"

He tapped his knuckles against Runaan's temple, snorting when Runaan slapped his hand away and rolled his eyes. Tyla paused polishing her blade just long enough to laugh brightly, "You're gonna lose your hand if you keep that up."

"You should listen to her," Runaan warned.

Renali draped an arm around his old friend's shoulder. "So you don't want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I know when you're lying, Runaan."

"No you don't." He deftly turned, removing himself from under Renali's arm and picking up his sword off the grass. He turned it, presenting it to Renali hilt-first. "What do you say – another round?"

Renali sighed, taking his weapon. "Fine," he said. "But you're deflecting."

"I am _not-_ "

"You are deflecting," Tyla chimed.

"Thank you, love!" Renali said with a grin.

"The only thing I'll _deflect_ is your blade," Runaan insisted.

"Ooh, smart comeback."

"Do you want to keep sparring or not?"

"Of course I do!" Renali shifted his blade in his grasp with a smirk, taking a ready stance and watching Runaan do the same. "How about we make it more interesting though – if I win, you tell me what's on your mind."

"So you want nothing as your prize?" Runaan scoffed. "Interesting."

"Still keeping up that façade, huh?"

"Deflecting!" Tyla said.

Runaan rolled his eyes, groaning, " _Fine._ If you want a heart-to-heart so badly, I'll give it to you. _If_ you can disarm me." His frown morphed neatly into a confident little smirk, eyes glinting in the moonlight as he raised his hand, crooked his fingers – _come at me._

Renali did, darting toward Runaan and striking without hesitation. Runaan dodged, so quickly it seemed effortless, but Renali turned and ducked under the incoming counter-attack. "What is it, Ru?" he asked. "Not sleeping well? Eat some bad fish?" Their blades clashed together, sending sparks flying. "Someone take over your favorite training spot?"

"Do you ever stop talking?" Runaan fired back.

"Come on – I'm curious!"

"You haven't won yet."

"So there _is_ something."

Instead of answering, Runaan pushed himself away, putting more distance between the two of them. His blades glinted in the light as he darted forward again, ready to strike-

His gaze shifted, just for a moment, landing over Renali's shoulder. And the next moment, Runaan did something Renali had _never_ seen him do.

He tripped.

Runaan's foot caught in the dirt, sending him pitching forward, instinctively thrusting his blades away from his own body as he hit the ground. Renali blinked, incredulous, as Runaan groaned and hauled himself up.

"That was…graceful," Renali chuckled. "You alright there, Ru?"

Runaan was on his feet again quickly, picking up his weapon and sighing. "I was careless."

"I'll say. What was that about-"

"There you are," came a voice from over Renali's shoulder, and for a moment – just the shortest flash – he caught a splash of pink on Runaan's cheeks. He turned, glancing back to find the source of the voice.

"Ethari," he said, blinking. "Here to train?"

"I'm better at crafting weapons than putting them to use," Ethari answered with a crooked little smile. "And speaking of – Runaan, I'm finished with your bow." He held the weapon up, freshly strung. "I didn't want to interrupt your sparring."

"It's fine," Runaan insisted, and there was something to his voice – some edge that Renali had never heard from him before. Taught like the bowstring. He cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"I increased the tension on the string a bit, like you asked." He smiled as Runaan took it, watched him study the curves and notches in its limbs. He pulled back on the bowstring and notched an imaginary arrow as Ethari looked on proudly. "Do you think that'll do?"

"It's perfect," Runaan said, the tiniest smile on his face. "Thank you."

Renali glanced over at Tyla. He had to be imagining this. There was no way he was seeing it unfold the way he thought. But Tyla had a hand over her mouth, hiding her beaming grin, and he knew that she was thinking the same thing.

"Anytime," Ethari said. "And ah…I took the liberty of crafting a few new arrows for you too. I'm experimenting with a new design – trying to adjust the barbs on the arrowheads without impacting the aerodynamics. Maybe you could try them out…tell me what you think?" He offered Runaan a simple leather quiver, inlaid with a few swirling patterns along the edge. "Don't worry about returning the quiver when you're done. I like to keep my hands busy so I've got quite a few. Figure you can always use a spare for hunting, eh?"

Tyla had rushed over in a heartbeat, her hand gripping Renali's arm in a silent, but unmistakable message: _Are you seeing what I'm seeing?_

Runaan blinked at the quiver in his hands. "Thank you," he said. "Ah…again."

"Anytime," Ethari answered, laughing. "Again." He turned, a smile still plastered on his face, waving over his shoulder as he left.

Renali felt like he'd just watched a unicorn prance across the field in a top hat.

The moment Ethari had disappeared around the corner, Tyla pounced. "Runaan," she said, in a voice that almost sounded like she was chiding a child for stealing sweets before dinner, "What was that?"

"What was what?"

She looked at the bow, at the quiver, at him again, a wide smile slowly stretching across her face. "Ethari…"

"What about him?"

"You and Ethari…"

"What _about him?_ "

Tyla gasped, hands pressed over her mouth and eyes wide. "Runaan, you sly dog! You're head over heels for the man!"

The tiny flash of pink that Renali had thought he'd noticed before was back again, more pronounced this time, spreading across Runaan's entire face like wildfire. "I'm _not-_ "

Before he could argue a second more, Renali snatched the quiver out of Runaan's hands and studied it. The leatherwork seemed simple from afar, but up close it was surprisingly intricate – tightly wound spirals along the carefully hemmed lip, polished metal studs embedded along the bottom and the strap, the stitching precise and meticulous.

When he glanced at the underside of the quiver, Renali smirked. "Seems the feeling is mutual, hm?"

"What are you talking about?" Runaan sputtered. "It's a spare quiver. He has plenty-"

"He made this for you. _Just_ you."

"How could you possibly-"

Instead of answering, Rethali simply turned the quiver over, tails of the arrows pressing against his palm as he showed Runaan the markings in the leather. They were discreet, but unmistakable. Old runes etched into the leather with a careful hand.

Runaan's name.

"Seems strange to me to etch your name on a spare quiver as an afterthought, huh?"

Runaan stared at it, eyes wide and cheeks pinker than Renali had ever seen them before in his life. Tyla threw her arm around Runaan's shoulders, cackling. "Who would have thought our dear old Runaan would wind up falling for someone so hard?" she cooed. "Did you even need the bowstring adjusted? Or was that just an excuse to watch Ethari's muscles flexing under his tunic while he works-"

Pink deepened into _red_ as Runaan rested the quiver and bow carefully on a nearby stump. "It's not like that…I'm not…I don't…" He groaned, palm pressed against his forehead. "I…think I might be in trouble…"

"You're not in trouble, you idiot!" Tyla insisted. "You're just in _love!_ "

Runaan didn't reply except to groan even louder.

* * *

Runaan in love...who would have ever guessed? Tyla certainly never saw it coming. But watching Ethari work, she could understand where he came from. The best craftsman in the village, always ready to crack a joke or offer a smile, constantly happy to lend his aid to anyone and everyone, not to mention good with his hands…

If there was anyone who could help Runaan _unwind_ a bit, maybe it was him.

She rapped her knuckles against the doorframe of his workshop, and Ethari turned to face her with a familiar warm smile. "Tyla," he said. "Are those blades serving you well?"

"Perfect as always," she said. "But I actually wanted to get your thoughts on something else."

"Oh?" His brow quirked.

"So…" She hopped up onto an empty countertop, smirking at him. "Runaan."

A little dusting of pink spread across his cheeks. "Aha-" He cleared his throat, eyes darting anywhere but toward her. "Runaan…what about him?"

"How long did that quiver take you to make, huh?"

"Not…not long. I make a fair number and I suppose I just felt like having a bit more fun with the embellishments and I thought…he might…like it…" He sighed. "Is it really obvious?"

"Painfully."

"Do you think it was too much?"

"Oh shadows, no!" she insisted as she got down again, rushing over to him and grasping his calloused hands. "Ethari, Ethari, Ethari…you have to know that Runaan is…well, he's one of the smartest men I've ever met, but he's also an _idiot._ At least when it comes to things like this."

"To be fair…I'm not all that good at _things like this_ either…" He scratched at the nape of his neck, grimacing. "At least I don't feel like I am."

"Well then you're perfect for each other!"

A smile, sadder and heavier than his usual one, tugged on Ethari's lips. "I don't even know if he feels the same to begin with."

"Oh, he does. Trust me."

"You think?"

"I _know._ Runaan hasn't had all that many suitors before, but it's not like he's never had a single offer. There have been a few people who tried…a couple young ladies intrigued by that whole stern demeanor of his. But I've never seen him quite as _flustered_ as he was the other day." She couldn't help but giggle. " _Flustered._ Now there's a word I never thought I'd use to describe him."

After a moment's contemplation, Ethari toyed with the tip of one ear and asked, "Did he…like the quiver?"

"Of course he did."

"Good! That's…that's good…" He turned back to his workbench, furiously getting to work shaping another batch of arrowheads. "I should probably get back to this. These new arrowheads won't make themselves, you know."

Tyla felt like there was a flock of birds fluttering away in her chest as she smiled. "You do that, Ethari. And don't forget…don't waste your time with subtlety or hints with him. Otherwise we'll be waiting until the sun goes out."

* * *

"Please stop looking at me like that."

Renali couldn't help it. There wasn't anything especially _interesting_ about watching Runaan draw his bow, nock an arrow, and send it flying into the center of the targets nestled in the trees. He'd done it a hundred times, day after day since they were strong enough to pull a bowstring. But now he had that quiver resting between his shoulder blades, and Renali couldn't help but stare at it.

"I can't help it," he insisted. "You're in love with Ethari-"

"This again," Runaan groaned.

Renali wiped away an invisible tear. "My little elfling is growing up."

With a sigh, Runaan drew another arrow and drew it back. "I'm older than you are."

"You still haven't denied that you're in love with Ethari."

The arrow went whizzing past the tree into the brush beyond, and Runaan cursed under his breath. "You're distracting me."

" _Someone_ certainly is, but it isn't me."

Runaan huffed, drawing one more arrow and clenching it in his fist as he held it out toward Renali's face. "Stop talking," he said. "Or this one isn't going into a target."

Renali simply held up his hands in surrender, meandering over to a nearby stump and perching there, silent. He gestured for Runaan to continue at his leisure, and Runaan rolled his eyes and pulled the arrow back-

"I'm just saying it would probably do you some good to release some _tension,_ you know?"

Instead of loosing the arrow, Runaan let the string go slack and turned to face him again. "Is this really what you want to talk about? Here? Now?"

"Oh, so you _haven't_ thought about it?" Renali asked, waggling his brows and wiggling his fingers. "What those craftsman's hands of his can really do…"

"Renali, I will _end you_ -"

"Alright, alright – I'll give you a break. Tyla wouldn't be very happy with me if I goaded you into beheading me." With one last glare, Runaan turned back toward the targets, drew back the last arrow, and sent it flying straight into the heart of the farthest target. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know," Renali told him once he'd lowered his bow again. "Wanting someone…it's just part of life, Runaan."

Without turning to face him again, Runaan let his shoulders slump, sighing. "I wouldn't know the first thing about it," he finally admitted. "About any of it."

"Oh sure you do – a lot of it just comes naturally."

"I've never-" He grimaced. " _Courted_ anyone. Never wanted to before."

"And now…?"

A long silence stretched out between them. Runaan finally tucked his bow back into its strap and turned on his heel. "I have work to do."

" _Runaan._ " All jokes put aside for the moment, Renali pressed a hand against Runaan's shoulder. "Please…I know you hate every second of conversations like this, but _talk to me._ Tell me what you're thinking. I want to help. I _can_ help."

Another uncomfortably long pause and another frustrated sigh later, Runaan finally answered, "What do you have in mind?"

"Well first of all," Renali said with a smirk, "Just how long have you been nursing these feelings, hm?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Must have been a while if you've finally let it wear you down this much. You once hiked stars know how many miles back home after a getting your leg slashed open by an angry barbclaw cat, and a little crush has brought you to your knees-"

" _Fine,_ " he forced out. "A…few months, I'd say."

" _Months?_ "

"Maybe longer."

" _Longer?_ "

"Renali, just what did you have in mind to help me?" he spat.

"Right, right, right." Renali pressed a finger against his chin thoughtfully, letting out a hum. "Well let's see here…when I was courting Tyla-"

"She courted _you._ "

" _When I was courting Tyla,_ I tried to keep things simple. Flowers never hurt to get the message across. Maybe offer to cook him a meal – the first time I tried Tyla's cooking I fell head over heels in a second." He grinned. "Just look for a chance to spend some time alone with him-" Runaan's expression pinched. "What's that face for? You're not scared of being alone with the man are you? All the battles you've been in, and you're anxious about a little conversation?"

After a moment, Runaan admitted, "I don't think I would know what to say…"

"Just _talk,_ you numbskull," Renali insisted with a light thwack against the back of Runaan's head. "He's a man, not a demon. Find something you have in common. You both like weapons! And hunting! And baking!"

"You expect me to just talk to him about spice cakes for hours on end?"

"You never know!"

Runaan grimaced. "I don't have time for this…it's ridiculous – I can't afford to be so distracted. So _careless._ "

"Don't you start with that," Renali insisted, hands pressed against Runaan's shoulders. "Runaan listen…you're the most devoted, loyal man I know. Nobody doubts that you would lay down your life for our people in a heartbeat. But that doesn't mean you have to deny yourself things like love and companionship. Sometimes they feel like they drag you down, but they make you stronger in the long run. Trust me." He smiled. "Tyla makes me a thousand times stronger than I would be alone. She's half my heart, Runaan. And you deserve just the same."

Runaan blinked at him, looking equal parts intrigued and surprised. "I'm not used to you being so…eloquent."

"I can be plenty eloquent when the situation calls for it, thank you very much." He grinned, patting the side of Runaan's face and chuckling when his old friend rolled his eyes. "You can do this, Ru. Trust your gut. Listen to that loyal heart of yours. It'll steer you right when the time comes."

"If you think so," Runaan sighed.

"I _know_ so!" He tapped on the cuffs that wrapped around the base of his horns. "I'm a married man, remember. I did something right."

* * *

It was late in the evening when a summer storm rolled in, fierce and unrelenting, darkening the skies and sending deafening sheets of rain and hail down across every inch of the forest. The wind was whipping like blades across every exposed surface, lightning and thunder brawling in the clouds so violently it sounded like the world was going to open up under his feet.

And Runaan could barely make out the sight of Ethari desperately trying to tug the shutters closed over his windows.

He cursed under his breath, pressing forward through the cutting rain until he got his hands on the sopping wood, helping to force it closed. "Latch it!" he commanded, and Ethari didn't waste a second complying, breathing a sigh of relief that got lost in the gale.

A moment later his hand clasped around Runaan's arm. "Get inside!" he called, and tugged him through the doorway. When it finally closed behind them, Ethari groaned, shaking the water off his hands. "Ah…thank you…Damn shutters always had a nasty habit of getting stuck." He offered a little crooked grin that made Runaan's stomach do a stubborn flip. "You'd think I of all people would have fixed that by now."

"It's nothing," Runaan sighed. The rain was pounding on the roof over their heads, the candles scattered around Ethari's workshop the only things keeping out the encroaching darkness outside. He winced as he felt water dripping from his sopping wet hair onto his feet.

Until a towel was being pressed into his hands. He stared at it a moment, before Ethari chuckled. "You use it to dry off," he said.

"You drag me out of the storm and I repay you by dripping all over your floor," Runaan finally replied.

"I'm dripping on my own floor too, don't you forget." He lit a match off one of the candles and got to work stoking a fire in the small furnace in the corner. "What were you doing out in this anyway? Didn't come all the way here just to check on me, did you?"

Dammit, his _smile_ was too much to bear.

"N-no," Runaan insisted, a little too quickly. "No…I was gathering some of the arrows from earlier. The new ones that you crafted."

"Oh," Ethari said with a blink. "You know it's no bother for me to craft plenty more. I certainly don't expect you to risk your life gathering them."

_Just talk, you numbskull._

Focus. _Focus._

Once he'd dried his hair in earnest, he pulled one of the arrows from his pack and offered it to Ethari. "I thought you'd want to see this," he said. "They flew as well as expected, but the shaft started to splinter, just there by the arrowhead." Ethari took it, already walking it over to his workbench and inspecting it closely. "I noticed it on a few of them when I was nocking them in the bow."

Ethari hummed, a deep furrow in his brow as he studied the arrow under the magnifying glass hanging over the bench. "I changed the material for the shaft to compensate for the change in weight of the arrowhead design. Could affect how they fly…draw them to one side or the other. Even if it's one in a hundred, it's not worth the risk." He sighed, turning to Runaan again with a warm smile. "See, this is why I knew I made the right decision, having you test them out."

It was probably just the furnace making Runaan's face feel so hot. It had to be. "All things considered, my part was easy."

"Still, I appreciate it nonetheless." Ethari was already deftly removing the arrowhead from the shaft, studying its shape under the magnifying glass, running his finger along the edge. "Did uh…did the quiver serve you alright?"

It definitely _wasn't_ the furnace heating up his face now.

A quiver with his name etched into the underside in beautifully scripted runes. Meticulous stitching, polished studs, embellishments pressed into the surface. He could practically imagine Ethari's hands working on the leather, fingers carefully running along the edge as he dropped in the newly made arrows.

Runaan swallowed. "I almost forgot you were just as skilled with leathercraft as you are with a hammer or whetstone."

"It's just a hobby more than anything else," Ethari laughed, thumb brushing against the tip of his own ear. "Crafting arrows and repairing blades is all well and good, but there's something different about working with leather. I've always loved the smell of it, the feeling of it under my hands…" That crooked smile of his – that damn _perfect_ crooked smile…Runaan couldn't look away as a hint of pink spread over Ethari's nose. "I could always make all my pieces look the same, but where would be the fun in that, eh?"

Runaan's mouth was dry as he ran his fingers over the divots in the side of the quiver, the gently sloping lines and curves in its surface. It was similar to the patterns he left in the hilts of his blades or the limbs of his bows. Like a signature. A ghost of the hands that crafted them.

"You've got to be freezing," Ethari added, and Runaan's eyes darted up to look at him again, finding him…close. Very close. Ethari's brow was knit with concern, hands hovering just an inch or two from Runaan's. "Look at you – you're shivering."

Then Ethari was pressing a soft cloth against Runaan's cheek and forehead, and Runaan could barely register the pounding of the rain on the roof over the sound of his own heartbeat thudding in his ears.

Ethari let out a laugh. "All that hair…seems like it'll never dry on its own."

"I manage," Runaan choked.

"Obviously."

A beat later, Ethari drew the cloth down over Runaan's chin, and then his hand was reaching out, fingers hooking around a strand of hair, tucking it back behind his ear.

"Runaan," he murmured, "You ah…you might have realized this already, but…"

_I think I might be in trouble…_

"I…well, I've been a bit…taken by you lately…enamored, really…"

_Runaan, you sly dog! You're head over heels for the man!_

"I've been thinking that…maybe we…you'd allow me to…"

_Oh so you haven't thought about it? What those craftsman's hands of his can really do…_

"Do you think you'd ever allow me to court you?" Ethari finally forced out, voice wavering. “I know you have responsibilities to tend to, and you might not even be all that interested in something like this, but-“

Love…Companionship…Things that Renali had told him he _deserved,_ and yet for a moment – as quick as a flash of lightning – Runaan didn’t care whether he deserved them or not. He _wanted_ something. _Needed_ it. And instead of letting his thoughts spin out of control to list reason after reason for why he _shouldn’t_ want it, he reached out for it instead.

Reached for Ethari’s scarf, felt the thick fabric damp and soft against his palm as he tugged on it, brought him closer, kissed him-

_Oh…_

Oh shadows above, he was in paradise.

When he pulled away, Ethari’s eyes opened a little owlishly, his lips lightly parted and glistening as he stared at Runaan from just a breath away. Close enough that Runaan could feel his sigh against his lips. “I guess that’s my answer, then,” he said with that same crooked smile, and it glinted in his eyes like the flickering candlelight.

He was beautiful. Of course Runaan had realized that a long time before, but now he couldn’t look away.

So instead, he pulled Ethari close and answered him again.

* * *

“I’m telling you,” Tyla insisted, staring out the window into the pouring rain with her eyes wide and excited, “I saw him go straight into Ethari’s workshop.”

“How can you see anything through this mess?” Renali asked. Even squinting, it was almost impossible to make out more than a few feet ahead. Then again, Tyla had always had some of the sharpest eyes in all of the Silvergrove.

She huffed. “I saw him go into Ethari’s workshop with him. I never thought he’d have the guts-“

“Runaan has more guts than he rest of Xadia combined.”

“When it comes to fighting, maybe. But romance?”

Renali sighed. “You have a point.”

She was stroking her chin, looking thoughtful as she tried to make something out through the storm, but it seemed it was no use. “What do you think they’re getting up to in there?” she asked, a playful little smile spreading across her face. “Trapped together in the pouring rain…having to share body heat to stay warm.” The smile turned into a full-blown smirk. “Kind of reminds me of our wedding night, you remember?”

Heat spread all the way down to Renali’s neck. “Hard to forget that.”

She laughed as she leaned back against his chest, tilting her head upwards to press a quick kiss against the underside of his chin. “I’d put a handful of gold on our dear Runaan getting laid tonight.”

“You have that much faith in him?”

“Between the two of them I think they can figure it out.”

* * *

“ _Runaan…_ ”

He’d never heard his name spoken like that – breathless and rough and _desperate._

“Runaan…don’t stop… _please…_ ”

“I don’t plan on it,” Runaan answered, words muffled against the side of Ethari’s neck. He could feel Ethari’s pulse racing under his lips, feel the heat and the salty tang of his skin against his tongue. He let his teeth graze against Ethari’s pulse point and moaned appreciatively when those calloused fingers curled against his scalp, just at the base of one horn.

For a moment, Ethari’s hands shied away from the sheer intimacy of that touch, but Runaan shook his head. “Touch me there,” he sighed, and a moment later Ethari’s hand found his horn again, pushing Runaan harder against his neck. 

A pile of clumsily spread blankets was all that separated them from the cool workshop floor, and the rain and wind howled outside so loudly that it sounded like a wild animal clawing at the doors and windows. But despite that, Runaan could hardly focus on anything other than the sound of Ethari’s voice quivering as he said, “Ah…I’m close…Runaan please…I’m so-“

His hand clamped down on Runaan’s arm, Ethari’s voice breaking as he came over his knuckles with a beautiful gasp. Runaan kissed him, trailing them all down his neck and chest as Ethari came down, and he felt a quiver against his lips as Ethari laughed. His hand trailed through Runaan’s hair.

“Can’t tell you how long I’ve been thinking of doing _that,_ ” Runaan found himself saying before he could stop it, and Ethari rose a brow, a lazy smile stretching across his flushed face.

“Just how often were you _thinking_ about it, hm?”

Runaan’s blush reached the tips of his ears, but he supposed there was little use trying to hide it now.

Ethari just laughed again, a warm and open sound, as he gently pressed his hands against Runaan’s shoulders and turned him, flipped him onto his back and straddled him. Where Runaan had pressed his lips against the marks on Ethari’s chest, now Ethari mirrored him – kissing down along the column of Runaan's neck, across his sternum, then farther down over his stomach…

“Ethari-“ Runaan pushed himself up on his elbows. “What are you-“

Gently, Ethari reached for Runaan’s hand, guiding it to his horn and coaxing him to wrap his fingers around it. It was an unspoken gesture of trust – _move me where you want me; I am yours to command._

Heart pounding, Runaan could do little more than follow the path of Ethari’s head and mouth, down lower and lower, nudging his legs apart, lips pressing against his inner thigh, and-

He pulled in a greedy, shaking breath as Ethari’s mouth found its mark. “Ethari…”

Ethari shot him a smile from between his legs. “ _I_ can’t tell you how long I’ve thought of doing _this,_ ” he said, and a moment later Runaan canted his head toward the rafters of his workshop, closed his eyes and saw stars.

* * *

Once again, Renali found himself on his back in the wet grass, staring up at Runaan as his friend offered a hand to help him to his feet once more. “You know,” he said, “You’re not nearly as tense today.”

“You think so?” Runaan asked breezily, twirling his blade in his hand. “Do you plan on trying to use that to your advantage?”

“Something tells me it’s already giving _you_ the upper hand.” Renali grinned. “You’ve been in an awfully cheerful mood since that storm hit the other night.”

“The storm had nothing to do with it.” Something in Runaan’s eye sparked a moment later, a smile spreading across his own face. It was easy for Renali to guess the reason – he didn’t even need to turn around to know before the voice confirmed it:

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Ethari said with the same easy grin as he strode over toward Runaan.

Gently took his hand.

Leaned in and kissed him.

And for a moment – just a fleeting little moment as Ethari pulled away – Runaan looked positively _euphoric._ A dreamy little smile on his face, pink dusting the tips of his ears, eyes half-lidded and hand lingering in Ethari’s like he didn’t even notice Renali was there.

It only lasted a second or two before Runaan’s normal stoic demeanor (albeit still a bit softer than usual) took over again. “I’ll come see you after I’m done here,” he said. “I think my bowstring may need a bit more adjusting after all.”

Half of Renali hoped that wasn’t a euphemism. The other half of him secretly hoped it _was._

“Well,” Renali said with a triumphant smirk, “Guess you listened to my advice after all.”

Instead of answering, Runaan took up a fighting stance and gestured for Renali to make the first move.

He owed Tyla a healthy handful of gold, it seemed, but Renali could live with that.


End file.
